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Upwardly Global—a leading workforce development organization focused on connecting immigrants and refugees to skill-aligned employment—is teaming up with Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrant Refugees (GCIR)—the nation’s philanthropy-mobilizing organization focused on advancing immigrant and refugee justice—to address and dismantle systemic barriers that immigrant women of color face to economic security. The partnership is made possible due to a grant from Pivotal Ventures, and directly aligns with their goal of advancing social progress for women and families in the United States.
In her quarterly message, President Marissa Tirona calls on philanthropy to act to address forced displacement, the systems that drive it, and secure the safety and dignity not only of those who are forcibly displaced but also of marginalized communities who experience violence and discrimination.
Ivy Suriyopas has been appointed as the new Vice President of Programs at Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), effective May 12, 2021.
What do we hope to accomplish? What will success look like? What will it take to get there? These are some of the questions I grapple with as GCIR’s Programs Learning Manager. My position is new, reflecting the organization’s commitment to proactive learning throughout our work. In a nutshell, I aim to support the team in building evaluative capacity, including through the design (and constant iteration) of ways of working that make it easy for people to engage meaningfully in learning processes.
As we approach 2025, we at GCIR know that working together will be our greatest asset as we face impending challenges for immigrants and the immigrant justice movement. As we continue to mobilize funders into action, philanthropy must utilize its enormous power and privilege to stand with immigrant and refugee communities, one of the primary targets of the incoming administration.
The first quarterly President Message from Marissa Tirona, GCIR President.
Emerging leader scholarship receipeint, Joél Junior Morales, reflects on his experience at GCIR's 2022 convening in Houston.
In 2021, GCIR launched a process to develop a new strategy which reflects our evolution as a national philanthropic mobilizing organization that creates strategic opportunities to move money and power to immigrant and refugee communities. To that end, we asked the Luminare Group to design and facilitate a strategy development process that was inclusive, generative, and collaborative. It was important to us that we did not create this new framework in a vacuum, so we convened a dynamic group of movement leaders, funders, and experts whose perspectives are informed by varied experiences and roles within the social justice ecosystem.
2024 was a challenging year in the fight for immigrant and refugee justice. GCIR, movement leaders, and our partners in philanthropy have been preparing for an incoming presidential administration that poses an unprecedented threat to our immigrant communities. In the face of these challenges, GCIR doubled-down this year on developing programming, resources, and partnerships that reflect our dedication to moving money and power to migrant communities and resourcing a robust migrant justice infrastructure.
In her second quarterly message of 2022, GCIR president Marissa Tirona shares some of the highlights of GCIR’s recent work, including GCIR’s national convening in Houston in May, grantmaking and learning through the California Dignity for Families Fund, developing a theory of change though the strategic planning process, and partnering with Upwardly Global to advance the economic power of immigrant and refugee women of color.
In the wake of last night’s presidential debate, with its divergent and often troubling messages about the future of our country, it is essential that we double down on our commitment to honoring the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their country of origin.